Search results for ""Muddy Pearl""

There is a story, one that runs from the beginning of creation itself, through thousands of years of human history. It is a story of triumph and disaster, miraculous deeds and terrible betrayals, divine justice and ultimate sacrifice, and of steadfast faith continuing down through generations and across continents to the present day. This is a story that is still being told, and will be finished only at the end of time. One remarkable chapter in that bigger story is the story of IFES, now 75 years long, with many incredible adventures along the way, just as there are in the books of Luke and Acts. In these 30 days of devotions, we can zoom in on a very important part of the Christian story, and take the lessons it teaches to strengthen our faith and enhance our witness today. Each day there is an opportunity to dig deeper into the themes that Luke uses to build his narrative of Christ and the church; to pray into the issues that Jesus, his disciples and the early church faced, and relate them to the changing times we live in now; to reflect on the passage and consider how we can respond; to explore the context of 'the wider story' in which these important events took place; and take a few minutes to meditate on an 'Evening Psalm' to recentre and bring us back to God after the activity of our day.

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From that first angelic role in the nativity play to that first playground love, from cut knees and scuffed shoes, school bullies and World Book Day costume design, life as a parent in the primary years is an emotional rollercoaster. Amid the practical chaos of finding swimming goggles, making packed lunches, cleaning out the rabbit and refereeing sibling squabbles over screen time, many of us long for some help – a little wisdom to get us through. Here is that help. Revised in light of the pandemic and complete with up-to-the-minute resources, this second edition is filled with memorable sayings, relatable stories and clever cartoons to help steer you through this challenging season of parenting, and to reassure you that you’re not alone – someone else struggles with feeling judged, with knowing how long to ‘count to ten’ for, and someone else also accidentally killed Finny the class goldfish over half-term … (they’ll never know the difference)! So put the kettle on, make a cup of tea, and if you forget everything else as a parent, remember this …

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Journey into the wonder that is to be found in the age-old story of Christmas with this beautiful little gift book. Bringing together thought-provoking and inspiring poems and illustrations, A Quickening retells and reframes the well-known Nativity story in a fresh way. Beginning and ending with important questions about stories, A Quickening invites us to encounter this story for ourselves. Weaving together different voices, forms and perspectives, this collection of poems forms a rich tapestry that offers moments to pause and reflect during the busiest time of year. Beautifully designed with pen and ink hand-drawn illustrations, this is a book to treasure or give as a meaningful gift this Christmas, for those who wish to experience this story anew and for those who do not know the story at all.

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As many as one in four girls and one in six boys experience sexual abuse during childhood, and it's estimated that half of the incidents are never reported. This means that countless millions in our societies, both children and adults, carry this complex and often hidden pain. What does the path to healing look like for survivors? And how can ministry leaders, pastors, and counsellors best help them as they walk this difficult road? Drawing on both his own and his wife's experience as survivors of childhood sexual abuse, minister and lecturer Tim Hein offers his expertise, practical guidance, and empathy-both for ministry leaders and for survivors themselves. How can we best respond when a survivor shares their secret with us? Where can survivors turn for encouragement when the road to recovery seems so long and lonely? Hein presents clinical data and resources alongside pastoral wisdom and care, addressing both psychological and spiritual aspects of sexual abuse. Both for those who have suffered sexual abuse and those in a position to help them, this book is a rich resource. Filled with sober truths and the hope of Christ, it calls survivors to take courage and walk unafraid down the road of healing.

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As parents we live each day at such a pace. One minute we are juggling the dawn scramble for p.e. kit, packing lunchboxes and dealing with toddler tantrums in the supermarket queue and then before we know it, they are filling in job applications. Did we do it right? Did we do it well? There is no one way to be the perfect parent. But there are a hundred ways to be a great parent. This hilarious, engaging little book is packed full with great ideas to help any really really busy parent find that extra minute, to enjoy their kids and to make the very most of every precious moment. Within these few pages are ideas strategies and principles that can revolutionise not only the way we parent, but also the way we feel about our parenting.

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"When I fell ill and stayed ill, I felt like God had chopped me off at the ankles. I yelped in pain and indignation, I felt painfully abandoned, diminished and finished. It took me a long time to learn that God was not out to kill me." Some illnesses begin with a bang, whipped off to hospital or flattened into bed. Other conditions creep in until normal life is no longer normal. Life skills are suddenly out of date. Work, socialising and hobbies are out of reach. It's a new and scary world. Emily Ackerman knows this world only too well. She knows what it feels like to cry out to God to relieve her suffering, to allow her to fulfil her life plans. She knows what it feels like to wait, year after year, while God works through her suffering, to fulfil his plans for her life. This book is about fighting back. It's about reclaiming your life now you're ill, and finding new ways to live well and serve effectively. You'll find survival strategies, encouragement, practical advice and fresh ways to view your situation. God hasn't given up on you: there's good news from the Bible about living abundantly and usefully with illness.

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The fully revised third edition of Katharine Hill's wise and encouraging book on parenting in the digital world. A lifeline for parents and carers, this book offers practical advice on screen time and social media, as well as cyberbullying, grooming and pornography, with new content on gaming and sharenting'

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In Nazi-occupied Poland, Rosa Dunovich faces a terrifying reality: to save her daughter, she must send her into hiding. Her only hope of finding her again - if they survive - is her medallion. A tale of courage, sacrifice and survival, inspired by true events of Poland's darkest days and brightest heroes.

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A meeting in a restaurant in Eastern Europe is suddenly interrupted by secret police. Public artworks are installed in a Guatemalan town to confront injustice perpetrated by gangs and government. A ministry begins in the Solomon Islands where none existed before. All this is the work of students, young people the very age the disciples were when Jesus entrusted his ministry to them. Drawing together incredible stories from every region of the globe - from North America to Romania, from movements with official recognition to those persecuted to the point of being driven underground - Campus Lights bears witness to the way that student mission is flourishing around the world today. In his journalistic, engaging style, Luke Cawley recounts how students are taking risks to share their faith, continuing the legacy of Jesus' young disciples as they went out into the world and changed nations. Far more than a book on student mission, Campus Lights will inspire all leaders, encouraging them to take risks for the kingdom in their own context, and showing how students and young people can be catalysts for change in our world.

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According to the World Health Organization, hundreds of millions of people around the world struggle with relational issues, emotional and mental health - and do not have access to help. LifeCare is a response to this crisis. An accessible and deeply encouraging resource that brings together discipleship practices, Christ-centered recovery skills, and research-supported pastoral care exercises, LifeCare guides you through the process of attending to your past, thought life, emotions, behaviors, and difficult circumstances to help you find the joy and purpose of abundant life. For all who feel called to work on difficulties in their life and relationships, whether through counseling, pastoral care, small groups, or other discipleship contexts, this book encourages you to start healing and seek growth in community.

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What is prayer? How does it work? And does it even help at all? Where do we start and where will it lead? These are questions that Johannes Hartl has spent his life exploring. Questions that have found their answers through encounter, experience and often through travel - a journey of discovery that has taken Hartl into the very heart of true prayer. Weaving together stories of individuals, movements and moments he has encountered across the world, Hartl invites you to join him on an incredible adventure. Exploring different approaches to prayer, such as contemplative, intercessory, creative, powerful and revelatory prayer, Hartl encourages us to rediscover the true heart of prayer - a God who hears us and wants to speak to us. For those who want to experience the power of prayer or who are struggling to pray, this book is full of thoughtful insights and wisdom, combined with reflective applications which will inspire and challenge readers to catch the fire for a life of prayer themselves.

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Alain Emerson felt like the luckiest man in the world. The talented pastor of a thriving church and national director of the 24-7 Prayer movement, he had found and married Lyndsay, the girl of his dreams, his soulmate. He could never have imagined that, in a matter of months, he would be nursing his beautiful twenty-three-year-old wife through the final stages of cancer, and would find himself a young widower, distraught and alone. The faith that had once seemed firm and secure felt like it was crumbling. And then there were the questions. Hadn't he been faithful and obedient? Why had God not answered his prayers? Why was God silent now? Why? Alain realised that in order for his faith to survive he needed to face God, not to hold him at arms' length, but, like Jacob, to wrestle, and like Job, to voice his pain and disappointment. In this profound exploration of loss, Alain Emerson walks through the stages of grief, pain and shock, of choosing to lean into the pain, to face God with his disappointment. He experiences the bewildering silence of God, the absence of simple answers, and walks into the dark tunnel of despair. Taking great comfort from the Psalms and the work of writers who truly understand - Wiesel, Brueggemann, Moltmann - Emerson wrestles with God and with his grief, and emerges with a stronger and deeper faith, and a sense of having seen God's face.

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A profound invitation to get to know the God of forever, Kate Patterson explores what it means to be 'eternally minded', keeping our eyes on the one whose eyes are on us. Eternity unveils the freedom that being eternally minded brings, enabling us to live fearlessly, knowing that God is making us more and more Christ-like as we journey with him.

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What might happen if we live out of loving encounter with God and build in response to what he reveals? How can we make space to hear God and say yes to him? What if being a leader is all about being a follower? Is it really that simple? These are the questions that have led Jill Weber on the adventure of saying yes to the more of God - the invitation to really live. This honest, warm and compelling book speaks directly to those who long to encounter more of Jesus, to know how tune into the small movements of the heart, and to have trust in every moment of their lives. With wisdom and wit Jill explores prayer, discernment, vocation and leadership through her story of building and becoming a House of Prayer, offering encouragement that gives readers the confidence to say yes to what God is already doing. Jill's story will build faith in readers and help them to discover the freedom that lies beyond that yes - of giving it all for Jesus. Even the Sparrow is both an invitation and a challenge - to walk step by step as God leads might lead us on paths that are at turns messy, complicated and inconvenient, but as we follow him the path can also be unexpected and breathtaking beauty.

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Whether we are over-eager or burnt-out grandparents, very involved or unsure how to help grandparents, this heart-warming little book can help us to be the best grandparent that we can possibly be, being there for, and bringing out the best in, our beloved grandchildren.

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We were made to experience God’s blessing! From God’s first blessing on Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and increase in number” to Jesus’ last blessing on his followers as he ascended into heaven, blessing is central to how God relates to those he loves. And yet many of us think God’s blessing is not for us. Maybe we’ve read the stories of blessing in the Bible, or seen it in the lives of others, but catch ourselves thinking “that’s nice for them, but God hasn’t got that for me…” Or worse, we picture God as a grumpy old man who measures out blessing in measly thimblefuls. Following on from her first book exploring the Aaronic blessing from the book of Numbers, this encouraging devotional offers the opportunity to see God afresh through that shining blessing - a God who loves us and whose heart is to bless his people, through his people. Beautifully designed and illustrated, and with scripture, quotations, and questions to reflect on, The Gift of Blessing is an ideal gift for those who long to be blessed that they might be a blessing to others.

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Imagine having to phone that friend to congratulate them on their new job - rather than posting a 'like' on their timeline. Or imagine writing a letter, finding an envelope and a stamp, walking to the letterbox and waiting a week for a reply - instead of firing off an email. How quickly life changes. The communications technologies that now permeate our every waking moment open up endless possibilities: we can do things more quickly, we can do things more efficiently, we can do more things. And yet there is a down side - our time absorbed in social media and sifting through shopping choices; a quarter of working hours spent in unproductive online activity. And more sinister implications: loss of privacy, anonymity, the undisclosed harvesting of personal details by commercial and government organisations. Ultimately, the reality of communications technologies is that either we will master them or they will master us. In this incredibly helpful book, Guy Brandon unpacks the practical and spiritual significance of our technological choices and encourages us to use communications technologies in a way that aligns with our faith and calling, and makes us more faithful, more human and better at relating to one another.

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This book won't try to get you to vote for a particular party. It isn't going to try to get you to vote at all. Something far better. It's going to show you that you could be voted for. That it could be your name on the ballot paper. Or that you could be working with someone whose name is, influencing your community more than you ever imagined. From food banks to debt counselling, soup vans to street pastors, the church is doing an amazing job treating the victims of a flawed system. But it's never going to be enough. Unless we also get involved in the decision-making process. God cares deeply about the heart of our state, as well as the state of our hearts. And, as Bart Simpson once famously discovered, the vote is won - and history is made, and the kingdom advanced - by those who show up.

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In the gospel of Luke, the disciples of Jesus ask Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They saw the great importance Jesus placed on having a daily rhythm of prayer and they wanted to learn how to have this same rhythm in their own lives. And so can we. In this refreshingly different look at prayer, Johannes Hartl explores twelve simple ways to build a thriving prayer life—twelve steps that have transformed his life. Hartl encourages readers to explore different forms of prayer, from embracing silence, to creating your own `inner garden’ in which to meet with Jesus wherever you are, to overcoming the scripts and traffic in our heads that prevent us from encountering God. With inspiring stories, spiritual exercises, and practical ideas, Simply Pray will help you develop daily rhythms of prayer, even in the hectic pace of day-to-day life. For those who long to meet with God in prayer, experience more depth, and discover God’s presence in the everyday, Simply Pray is an invitation to the biggest challenge and the loveliest secret—the adventure that will change your life.

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The moment Jesus kneels with a towel and bowl to wash his disciples' feet. The point where he looks Peter in the eye and predicts betrayal. That intimate, urgent prayer to the Father for the disciples. That resolute strength before the Sanhedrin, before Pilate, before the crowd. The cross. The talk with Mary in the Garden. The walk with Peter at Galilee. The later chapters of the Gospel of John form what is for many the deepest and most moving accounts of all Scripture. They also form a detailed description of Jesus' final days and hours on earth, Jesus final instructions to his team as he prepares to hand on his ministry. Karl Martin mines this incredibly rich vein of Scripture to draw lessons for leadership, leadership in Jesus' way. Leadership in the way of Jesus is about humility, about investing your life in your team, about facing betrayal, about dying to self, about handing on, about succession. Ultimately, true leadership is not about seeing others serve your dream - it is about seeing others released into the dreams, the gifting and calling that the Lord has placed on their lives. It is about something beyond you. This deceptively profound, honest and practical book gives great insight for leaders - challenge for younger leaders, encouragement for mid-life leaders, and refreshment for the mature leaders - and what may be some of the most significant lessons of their leadership life.

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A map for a new kind of leadership the world sorely needs - leaders who lead from a deeper place. Leaders who strive to lead True, Brave, Kind and Curious. Practical and focused, Martin provides tools that can grow the reader into a leader who not only succeeds within their current context, but might even 'fix the character of their times.'

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A thundering from the skies? An inner knowing, a quiet certainty? The God of the Bible is a God who speaks, who spoke the world itself into being; his word is powerful and it will accomplish what he sends it to do. Our God promises to speak to us, to be found by us when we seek him with all our heart. But how? What is God’s voice actually like? So often, in our noisy world, we struggle to listen, to recognise when he’s speaking. Can we really expect to ‘hear’ him today? Yes, we can, argues Bill Cahusac, our Father God loves to communicate with us, and it can be as natural to encounter his voice at a football match or the supermarket checkout, as it can be in a church or a prayer room. This beautiful book explores important and difficult questions surrounding prophecy. Vulnerable, funny, and entirely relatable, Bill takes us on a journey of his experience. Hearing that gentle whisper, he says, comes from spending time with God in his word and in worship.

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America, 1970s: Hannah struggles with forgiveness after her mother, Lieselotte's, death. Germany, 1930s: Lieselotte's father quickly ascends the Nazi Party ranks, and Lieselotte's in love - with the wrong man. As their stories unfold, Hannah must decide if she can atone for her family's tragic past and help reshape the future.

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At the heart of everything there is one very good idea – the true currency of our society, the key to all human flourishing and happiness. That idea is very simple. It is love, actually. Love God. Love one another. Your neighbour. Your enemy. Simple – but far from easy. As the statistics and prolific stories of broken friendships, toxic workplaces, divided churches, dysfunctional families and lonely people testify. And yet it is a commandment. Not just a good idea, but the most important one, the one from which all the others flow. With brilliant storytelling and deep theological insight, Mark Greene explores Jesus' familiar yet greatest command as a simple but liberating framework to help us make decisions that enhance rather than damage our relationships – whether it’s about replacing a dishwasher or managing a team. He challenges us to put relationships deliberately back at the heart of all things Full of humour, contemporary examples and research, Probably The Best Idea in the World shows how Jesus’ emphasis on thinking relationally is not only a liberating basis for our personal lives, but a dynamic foundation for our workplaces, our society, and our global community... ... because putting relationships first transforms everything.

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The remarkable story of one gutsy contractor's determination to end poverty in Africa. Grant Smith is not a visionary or an enthusiastic missionary. He's a problem solver. When confronted with the desperate problems of poverty he witnessed in Africa, he did the only thing he knew how to do--business. Business that would provide jobs and pay people enough so that they would not have to rely on charity to send their kids to school, so that none would be forced to live in a tin shed without water, electricity, sewerage, or dignity, fighting off the threat of pneumonia every time it rained. His venture led to a great challenge: become the biggest house-builder in Kenya. Both humorous and realistic, Smith tells of his successes and failures with projects as diverse as growing oil crops, a road-building scheme, house building, and selling old gas pumps. With faith in God's provision--and a little bewilderment--Smith wrestles with difficulties that every entrepreneur knows too well: finding investment funding only to lose it again, acquiring trustworthy business partners, confronting bribery and bureaucracy, corruption and culture. He is not the biggest house-builder in Kenya (yet!), but Smith has stumbled on a near-miraculous way of unlocking long-term financial provision for local Christian charities. For those who dream of making a difference for communities affected by poverty, this story is inspiring and thought-provoking. It encourages readers to see how ordinary people have been created for a purpose and have the potential to facilitate miracles. The Accidental Social Entrepreneur is a real challenge to consider how we might use the gifts and resources we have been given by God to change lives.

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Tucked away in the book of Numbers, amid instructions on wave offerings and haircutting, set in the ring of God's call to his people to be set apart for him, we find a sparkling diamond: God's gift of shining blessing, given to a weary people wandering in the wilderness. God blesses those who don't deserve it, through those who don't deserve it; again and again he chooses to bless. He is preparing his people for life in the Promised Land. And he is blessing them - us - to be a blessing to all people.

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Ambition - the desire to be the best - is one of the passions that fuels Western Society. Many of mankind's greatest advances have been achieved through ambitious men and women. And yet the cost is often a trail of neglected families, discarded friendships, and compromised values. In this profound and wise discussion, RT Kendall argues that God does not call us simply to suppress all ambition. In fact it is often that very same trait which he uses to motivate a man or woman to do his will. Our God-given ambition must become God-oriented, so that a love for the Glory of God eclipses our all.

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More pubs, clubs and bars per square mile than almost anywhere else in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of young people, intent on having the best holiday possible. The beautiful island of Ibiza is often derided for the shocking scenes of excess, violence and incapacity that inevitably result. 24-7 Prayer took up the invitation, God's call to go to the party island and pray. So Brian and Tracy Heasley went. For seven years, they walked and prayed around the walls of the San Antonio. And most nights, joined by young volunteers, they walked through the town, chatting to clubbers and offering prayer. Thousands said yes. Some knelt, some put their hands together, some shared deep worries and concerns. They helped people home, looked after those in danger of being robbed, and befriended all kinds of people, from bar owners to prostitutes. The familiar T-shirts of 24-7 Ibiza came to be regarded as a fourth emergency service. Brian and Tracy's story will inspire you to pray and show God's love for your own community as you seek to express the gospel in whatever situation he has placed you.

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Called is a refreshingly honest and humorous deep dive into God's calling for each one of us. Written by Jonny Gumbel, Rector of Christ Church Rio and author of Loved, Called examines the stories of the characters whom God called in different ways, humanising them and giving us encouragement that we too can take up God's call on our lives.

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How can working parents live wisely with God at the centre, learn to be still and know him, while juggling demands of family and career at today's hectic pace? Katharine Hill draws on a wealth of experience from advising government, working with families and bringing up her own, to help you flourish in your calling and walk closely with the Lord.

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After 30 years of being a disciple, Simon Ponsonby began to reflect on whether he was amazed by Jesus, or whether he had lost his first love, having a relationship with Jesus that was predictable and dutiful. Did Jesus still amaze him or just employ him? ISBN 978-1-910012-18-5 As he reflected on this question, Jesus drew near to him, and Simon began to write a poem about Jesus, marvelling again at who he was and what he had done. Amazing is a touching and inspiring poem about just how amazing Jesus is - the perfect devotional for mediating and reflecting on Jesus, to help meet with him right where you are. Illustrated with the author's photographs, which position amazing truths in a stark and contemporary setting, and drive their message home all the more, this simple, honest and moving poem is a wonderful gift to help others to encounter the amazing person of Jesus too.

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Married life is full of trials and blessings, no matter what season of marriage you are in. One day you're saying your wedding vows, enjoying the honeymoon, making a home together ... and the next you're working through domestic challenges, paying the mortgage and struggling to remember the anniversary. Sometimes just a little wisdom and encouragement is needed to help along the way. Help is here! Katharine Hill offers her wisdom and guidance in stories and bite-sized chapters to help navigate the different seasons of marriage. In the busyness of life, this encouraging book is great for those who want to focus on what matters the most, to have the very best for their marriage. With practical tips, sayings to read while waiting for the kettle to boil and hilarious cartoons to make you laugh, whether you are newlywed, or reaching your golden anniversary this book is here to help couples thrive. So, put the kettle on, take a minute, and, if you forget everything else, remember this...

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Five days a week. Or six. Thirty, forty, sixty hours. 90,000 in a lifetime. An abundance of creative possibility. So much more than a means to a mortgage, our work is a gift from God. And he wants to see us flourish in it all, doing what we were made to do: creating value, building homes or businesses, teaching primary schoolers or training pilots, stitching up minor injuries or serving macchiatos. Being everyday servants and witnesses in the world he entrusted to each of us, giving glory to the One who made us and gave us work to do. And yet, how many of us feel equipped, spiritually? Prayed for? Prepared for the opportunities and the challenges, the joys and the trials? In this innovative, compelling, often funny, story-filled book, ex-adman Mark Greene explores what the Bible has to say about contemporary work. From dealing with the boss, to being the boss; from working with competitive co-workers, to the challenges of working alone, here’s an empowering, tried and tested guide towards a more fulfilling and fruitful working life. A special 25th anniversary edition of a contemporary classic that’s stood the test of time and has been joyfully revised and updated for the times we’re in.

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In 2011, the borough of Thurrock in Essex stepped into the national spotlight when it came bottom of the national league table for life satisfaction. By 2015 that disaffection and anger had boiled over into political insurrection, and Thurrock led Britain out of the door of the EU with one of the highest 'leave' votes in the country. Starting from the underlying causes of the mass dissatisfaction that brought us to here, this book spells out a clear vision for what a post-Brexit Britain should look like. From unemployment to immigration, council estates to the banking industry, and local communities to the global environment, it takes a long, hard look at what really creates the conditions for people and communities to flourish and why we're just not feeling it as a nation. The answers combine radical political ideas with grass roots Essex reality; because if the solutions don't work for White Van Man then they probably won't work at all.

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Stand is a call to really live. To live out your Christian life - standing on the truth of who God is and who you are in him. Standing on the reality of what he's done. Standing firm in battle. Standing up for others and being prepared to stand out. In the steps of Mere Christianity and The Fight, Karl Martin re-tells and re-frames God's ancient call to discipleship and witness for a new generation, keeping Jesus firmly at the centre.

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